As this semester comes to a close, and we get ready for 2013, NOBE will be using our Blog more to communicate with you. You will see recaps from our events and can get all the information you need, from minutes to photos to the events calendar that you can sync to your own. Get it all in here in one place!

Check back in the new year as we start to use this media more and it will hopefully lead to better interaction with our members.

The spring semester is coming to a close, and USC NOBE decided to go out with a bang last Wednesday night, as we co-hosted a large peer-peer networking event with USC E-CLUB and USC EVMA. Startup Equinox was a huge success! Attendance was wonderful, and around 30 student innovators got a chance to pitch their ideas to fellow students and aspiring entrepreneurs. Ideas discussed included various social media management platforms, new ways to advertise just around campus, a mobile app devoted to personal style advice/suggestions, a website for finding a weekend pet sitter, and even physical devices such as a bike lock encompassing the entire bike instead of one part of it. Kriztina ‘Z’ Holly, Vice Provost of Innovation for USC and Executive Director of the Stevens Institute for Innovation, gave a fascinating keynote speech highlighting her own path as an innovator and entrepreneur, while encouraging others to find their own paths to success.

'Z' Holly Keynote

Both Holly and IML professor Jerry Cohen (one of the organizers of the event) repeatedly stressed the importance of following through on one’s ideas. They both expressed the similar sentiment that while most ideas are not unique, what is unique is the way in which their creators pursue turning those ideas into reality. After the keynote and idea pitches, students were given a chance to network with one another. Fine arts, business, and technical students were all given different colored wristbands so as to be easily distinguishable in the crowd. The goal was for those students with ideas/preexisting businesses or companies to be able to easily find the help they needed to take their idea or business to the next level. During their pitches, many students expressed needs for developers, designers, or marketing help etc. During the networking portion of the event, students that fit the needs of their peers were given a chance to introduce themselves and form new relationships, and perhaps even fresh ideas.

Student Networking

MBA student and EVMA president Matt Lucido pitches his idea, "Stampede," to the audience

Overall, the event was a great success, bringing together a diverse group of students from a wide array of academic and personal backgrounds in the spirit of entrepreneurialism, thereby spurring inspiration. NOBE greatly looks forward to hosting this event again next year, and to making it even bigger and better than before.

While this was our last networking event for the year, we have an info session with LinkedIn, the ongoing NOBE national stock market game, and the final general meeting for the year in April.

We’ve only begun our fifth week of classes and NOBE has already had three successful workshops!

We started with the VP of Qualcomm, on January 18th, who discussed how to turn your idea into a product. It was very informative and pretty entertaining since he showed us the virtual reality that has started to become implemented around for products, such as smart-phones, that are powered by Qualcomm.

On January 25th we were joined by the VP of Merril Lynch who gave us some solid information regarding 401ks and investing in our future. He gave us a packet with thoroughly highlighted key points for us to be aware of–anything from employee benefits to stocks and bonds. It was a great workshop to learn about finances, especially for those with no idea regarding the subject matter–since many of us don’t get to take classes about it.

Finally, we just finished up our most recent workshop this evening. Sam Teller of Launchpad LA and Charlie joined us for a greatly-attended event. Thanks to everyone who was able to come out! It was awesome hearing Sam’s story–a little luck can go a long way, but so can a college degree, so stay in school and do all your work even if you want to join or create an amazing startup. With a little more knowledge and experience, maybe Sam will be just the right person to help out your endeavors. Either way, keep networking, keep learning and you’ll go far–I mean we go to USC so your resume basically writes itself.

Thanks again for everyone who supported us at these last three workshops, and keep spreading the word about NOBE!

Thanks to all of you that came to our event last night – it really was a fantastic evening! Mr. Hsu gave us more information about his most recent project, MuckerLab, but in the process helped us explore the nature of the LA entrepreneur, the local start-up ecosystem, and recent investment trends.

If you were unable to attend the event, but would like more information, feel free to look through his website at: http://www.muckerlab.com

Have a great Thanksgiving – if we don’t get to see you at USC Friends and Neighbors day on Saturday!

Hey guys. We had a great workshop tonight with Jeff Clark of GE Aviation.

After some delicious pasta and an update on the Stock Market Game from our lovely president, it was great hearing from a semi-recent USC graduate about his time at SC and what skills he took away from his education and is able to implement at GE.

He discussed how important communication is and how being able to solve problems is key in the workplace.

Jeff gave us some insight on how the Aviation part of GE works, and how a global force such as it functions.

Additionally he stressed how important it is to get an internship in your undergrad so you can see what type of work you’d actually be doing in certain fields so you can figure out what truly interests you, so you are not bored with your career path.

*If you have any specifics about what he covered in his powerpoint you can contact us and we will send you the file.*

Midterm season has arrived at USC – but we are still moving quickly at USC NOBE! Our workshops have been more than successful and our speaker series events have brought really remarkable speakers to campus. We now look forward to our first ever USC NOBE Networking Event hosted on October 10. If you are interested, please consult the tab above!

We actually have another great workshop this week, as we invite Dr. Hubbard of the Marshall School of Business to come and give us some background into communicating with the media.

While we have many events to look forward to, we can attend these events in style, as we have put in our order for USC NOBE T Shirts! All paid members get a T, so keep on the look out for when they get here!

Everyone check out the new blog tabs, we have been refining our website to make it more functional and more informative!

We are also starting registration for our FALL NETWORKING EVENT! So click on the tab above for more information!

We have had a great start to the year, with more than 400 people on our Interest List! If you haven’t joined the mailing list yet, and want to start receiving our emails, go ahead and sign up using the link above.

If you are interested in becoming an official member of USC NOBE, please consult the membership tab above, there will be information detailing the process. Keep in mind our workshops are members only, so please try to bring $20 with you if you have yet to pay your dues.